As far as I know, there is nothing under $1000 that works as well or as easily as Diptrace for general work. The problems with Diptrace have to do with crazy library management/propagation (and lack of it), craziness with their grid precision, craziness importing board shapes, lack of transparency when working on multi-layer boards, and a long list of other little things. They all add up to make it a poor choice for a pro doing any sort of complex work in a real engineering environment.
But for hobbyists, and also for pros such as myself that are making mostly simple boards, I doubt you'll find anything more productive. Certainly, component and pattern creation is simpler than anything else I've seen, even though the library management itself is, more or less, amateurish and crappy.